Difference Between Patience and Tolerance

If you ever had to wait in a queue for your turn, you must have noticed two types of people. The first type is those who are patient, and the other who ate impatient and behave restlessly. Patience is said to be an attribute to wait for something or an event to take place without getting disturbed or angry. Tolerance is another virtue that has similar meaning to patience, and there are people who use these two words, patience and tolerance interchangeably. However, it is wrong as tolerance is a different concept and used in different contexts. This article will explain the differences between patience and tolerance to make their usage crystal clear in the minds of the readers.

Tolerance is about accepting the fact that you cannot have your way in all circumstances in life. It also means you accept that others are different and have different abilities. If you can appreciate these differences, you are said to be tolerant. Patience is the ability to keep cool under trying conditions and not letting self to fly off the handle. It also means not getting discouraged or losing temper when there is a delay.

If you know that what others are doing is wrong but put up with them without getting mad or disturbed, you are being tolerant of them. Tolerance is not losing control while allowing certain people do certain things that you don’t agree with. Tolerance means being appreciative of differences. Discrimination in this world takes place only because people have grown intolerant and cannot bear differences.

Tolerance is also used in connection with certain drugs and our body’s ability to tolerate them. Some people have high tolerance levels for certain drugs while others have low levels of tolerance.

If you are working in a team and there are members who cannot work at your pace and lag behind, you can either have patience to let them complete the task, or you can be impatient by calling them names criticizing them for their slow speed and efficiency.

Tolerance is the ability to accept and live with people who are different from us, treating them with respect and dignity. On the other hand, patience is the attribute of waiting calmly for your turn in a queue. Tolerance is the attribute of putting up with someone or something you don’t’ like while patience is waiting coolly for something.